Unraveled
by lookingforthestars
Summary: Paige has another idea to defuse the tension while she and Walter are fighting.


**Here's the smut I promised! Not safe for work. I get a lot of reviews that are like "I read this at work and almost died," so I'm just putting this disclaimer up. By all means, read it at work if you need to spice up your day, just be warned.**

 **Oh, and I swear I'll get to the second chapter of "Break" soon, I'm just trying to work out some details in my head. :)**

He never liked it when she was this quiet.

Paige was upset with him. Even the old Walter, with his crippled EQ, could have figured that out easily. She had stared out the window for nearly twenty minutes on the drive home, switching on the radio first to at least spare them from oppressive silence. Since he knew exactly what he'd done to make her mad and didn't have to ask for clarification, this time, he opted to remain quiet until she cooled down.

They got into her apartment and she dropped her clutch haphazardly on the kitchen counter, kicking off her heels as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the refrigerator. Walter's jaw clenched as the quiet finally became too much and he cracked. "It wasn't a big deal, Paige."

The liaison turned around, her eyebrows raised in disbelief as she set the glass down. "I'm sorry? You didn't see that as a big deal? We almost got escorted out by FBI agents."

"But we didn't. We left voluntarily," Walter argued with slightly more conviction than he felt. He'd never really wanted to go to this dinner, but the invitation was extended to them by Homeland and Paige insisted it would be a good networking opportunity, considering the number of other government contractors that would be in attendance. While he was content to spend time with Paige—especially Paige in that dress—it only took seventy-four minutes for everything to detonate. "I know I reacted poorly to his comments—."

"Reacted poorly! Oh my God, Walter, everyone in that place thought you two were about to start swinging. I was practically begging you to walk away, you couldn't have just trusted me?"

The genius felt another twinge of guilt. He'd been wholly disinterested in meeting Charlie Antonov in the first place—a successful software developer who, in Walter's opinion, was much better at stealing credit for other people's work than creating his own—but their introduction had spiraled out of control rather quickly. "He threatened to buy out Scorpion. And he was leering at you." Walter grimaced. "I didn't care for him."

Paige rolled her eyes. "He _joked_ about buying out Scorpion. And yeah, he was kind of a pig, but I can handle that." She let out an exasperated sigh, reaching up to remove her chandelier earrings. "We were supposed to represent the company, and trust me, you _did not_ help your reputation of being difficult to work with."

He wouldn't be so difficult to work with if clients would merely accept his superior IQ and fall in line with his plans. The team always came through, didn't they? How many times did they have to save the world before people stopped expecting them to prove themselves?

"I can't pretend to like people, Paige," he snapped. "I realize that you want me to play nice with everyone, but if you're expecting me to stand by idly while some rich idiot makes rude comments about you, and Scorpion, and everything that's important to me, then don't." He clapped his hand to his chest. "I know I should be the bigger person, but sometimes I'm just not. I'm sorry."

The liaison's face clouded, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Walter couldn't decipher if she was softening or if her anger had tipped over into previously unexplored territory. She strode toward him purposefully and he tensed, expecting a slap or at least a severe look as she brushed past him. What he didn't expect was for Paige to cradle his face, crash her body against his, and kiss him fiercely.

Paige took advantage of the confused noise he made to plunge her tongue into his mouth, dragging her nails down the back of his neck and earning a shudder from him. If he was a robot, then she knew exactly which buttons to push. Walter's left arm slid around her back, yanking her closer, while the other traveled along her waist, pushing up the fabric of her gold dress. God, she'd looked good in this dress, completely oblivious to everyone's eyes on her as soon as she entered the room.

"Crap," Paige mumbled against his mouth, and it was only then that Walter's senses returned and he felt a sharp pain at his scalp. She untangled her bracelet from his curls and tugged it off her wrist, tossing it onto the counter.

She reached for him again and Walter pulled back, the fog in his brain dissipating slightly without her body wrapped around his. "I thought you were mad."

"I am," Paige answered matter-of-factly as she reached up to slide her thin straps off her shoulders. "I'm also pretty turned on right now. I know that's confusing, but…" She wriggled, helping the dress down slowly with her thumbs until it dropped to her feet. "Maybe we can continue this disagreement after we relieve some of the tension?"

"Uh…" Walter never tired of seeing Paige in the simple, lace-trimmed bra and underwear sets she favored. It collided with her sultry tone in his head and short-circuited him just like she knew it would. He didn't finish his thought, opting instead to gather her in his arms and focus his attentions on her neck, and she kicked the dress away before melting fully into him, grappling with the knot on his tie.

He half-thought he would be sleeping on the couch, so if Paige wanted to ease her frustration in a more enjoyable way, he had no intention of denying her. Not to mention that—although he found her gorgeous in anything—when she really dressed up, she was spectacular. Since Walter was the reason she'd gone through all that trouble and then had her night cut short, it was also his duty to show appreciation for her efforts.

"You're stunning," he murmured as his lips trailed down her heated skin. It was a compliment he used often, probably too often, but Paige knew that verbalizing it already took conscious effort. Walter had to remind himself that she needed to hear the words, although he was certain she could tell how he felt just by the way he looked at her. Staring at her took no effort and he often didn't even realize he was doing it until she met his gaze and smiled.

"You looked pretty damn good tonight too," Paige responded, finally getting his tie undone and letting it drop to the floor. Her hands fell to his waistband and she pulled out his tucked shirt before setting to work on the buttons. "Other women flirt with you, you know. All the time. You just don't recognize it."

Walter detached from her neck and leaned back, frowning. That couldn't be true…although, like Paige said, he wouldn't notice if it was. He'd hardly paid any attention to women before he met the liaison, but now that they were together, he found no reason to look anywhere else. "D-Does that upset you?"

Paige shook her head, continuing to free him from his shirt in an admirable display of multitasking. "No. If you say I'm the only one, I believe you."

He wrapped his hands around her wrists, stilling her movements. "You are," he insisted, wanting to leave no room for doubt. Walter was not the type of person who would reassure her of that every day, although he would try if she asked. Fortunately, even though she'd been cheated on in the past and would always have issues with abandonment, Paige wasn't overly insecure.

"I know, Walter." She trapped his bottom lip between hers, temporarily derailing his train of thought until she released him. "So I need you to believe it when I say that you're the only one. A man like Antonov can talk all he wants, but he can't take anything from you. He can't take Scorpion and he can't take me. Okay?" Walter didn't answer immediately, still hung up on the fact that he was the _only one_ for a woman who could have any man she wanted. It seemed unlikely, almost impossible, but he knew she was being honest. "Okay?"

His reply was to kiss her thoroughly, fingers trailing up her back to unhook her bra. She was so on edge already that every touch seemed to draw a shudder or sigh out of her. But there was no doubt about who was in charge, and he gladly ceded control to Paige as she steered them toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes in their wake.

The air was temporarily knocked out of his lungs when Paige pushed him back onto the mattress, hardly giving him a chance to recover as she straddled him and recaptured his lips. He was always enthralled—and a little exhausted—when she called the shots. Sometimes she'd go slow, torture him, push the limits of his patience and endurance. He wondered if she would take that route tonight, as a sort of punishment for getting them thrown out of the dinner, but it quickly became clear that she wasn't feeling particularly patient either.

" _Paige_ ," he said through gritted teeth as she ground down on him, nipping lightly at his bottom lip. She pushed herself up, hands on his chest for stability, and tipped her head back as she released a shaky breath. Needing to even things out, Walter swiped his thumb over her clit, grinning at the way she gasped his name. Another thing that he never wanted to get used to.

"You make it hard to stay mad when you do that," she panted, sounding equal parts annoyed and amused.

Walter grinned, emboldened by her responsiveness and confident that her plan was starting to work. "I'd like to point out that you initiated this."

Paige's eyes flashed and she stilled, sitting up on her knees. The genius swallowed. Perhaps he'd spoken too soon. His body was aching for her and if she stopped now, it was going to be a very long night. Was that her plan all along? Hopefully she wasn't capable of being _that_ cruel.

"Don't worry, I plan to finish it too," she teased, smirking at Walter's sigh of relief as she positioned herself and sank down on him. He dropped his hands to her hips, holding her in place as they both adjusted to the contact. Walter marveled at how something that had become so familiar and safe could still send shockwaves through him. His palms skimmed over her skin almost reverently and Paige shivered before she circled her hips and started to move.

The rhythm she set wasn't all that slow or gentle, but Walter caught up easily, lifting his hips to meet her. Knowing she would get there the first time without any additional help from him, he lost himself in watching her, every sharp intake of breath and toss of her hair tearing at something deep inside him. Walter never thought he'd want this. Crave this. _Need_ this. He never did with anyone else. For some reasons that were logical and others that weren't, she was the only woman who affected him this way.

Her fingers curled, nails digging sharply into his skin, leaving marks that would only be seen by the two of them. Paige knew he could handle it. Walter had been more than a little surprised to discover how much he enjoyed this rougher, more primal side of her. Then again, with Paige, he'd discovered many things he never knew he liked.

Walter sped up his pace to match hers, enraptured by the way her eyes fell closed and her teeth sank into her lip. She let out a low moan and pulsed hard around him as she finished, pausing to catch her breath and smile down at him. "Good?"

He nodded and worked his way to sit against the headboard, drawing her into a long kiss when they were situated. Walter wasn't usually this far behind her, but he didn't mind, because they hadn't bothered much with foreplay and he was happy to drive Paige to a second climax before claiming his own. She tangled her fingers in his hair as she moved herself on him, their faces close but not quite touching, her breath loud and hot in his ear. His hands traveled between them, massaging her sensitive breasts, smirking as she arched into him. The smirk quickly devolved into a groan as she tightened around him and made his vision blur.

The telltale signs of his orgasm descended on him abruptly with the added stimulation of Paige's burning skin against his and her tongue swirling over a sensitive spot on his neck. Her muscles were contracting and Walter knew it wouldn't take much, so he pressed the pad of his finger to her clit, rubbing in tight circles to bring her to the edge. She cried out and jerked against his hand, gripping his shoulders to anchor herself as she came again. A few thrusts more and Walter was following her, shuddering while she scratched his scalp and whispered soothingly to help him down.

When they'd both come back to earth, Paige rolled off him and onto her side, dropping unceremoniously onto the pillow. Walter brought the comforter up to cover both of them and she tangled her feet with his underneath.

"I can't feel my legs." The genius chuckled, reaching out to stroke her hair before she added, "That was definitely better than a stuffy dinner."

Relieved as he was to see Paige satisfied and relaxed, Walter knew that sex alone wouldn't resolve their dispute. He let out a deep breath and angled to face her. "I am sorry, Paige. About earlier. You were t-trying to defuse a tense situation and I let my pride get in the way. I'll, uh…I'll do better next time."

She flashed him an appreciative smile. "I know. You're always doing better, Walter. You're more committed to growing than most people are."

"Thank you." He didn't always make progress as fast as he'd like—it was frustrating to find a skill that he couldn't master within a few hours—but when she was helping him, it seemed less daunting. "I don't like arguing with you."

Paige scooted closer and rested her head on his chest, draping her arm around him. He traced lines on her back with his fingers, smiling at her hum of approval. "I don't like it either. But we can fight sometimes. It's not going to break us." The liaison shifted so she could meet his curious gaze. "It's kind of strange, you know. I think I figured that out a while ago. It was like…" She sighed. "When things were the worst between us. We were both frustrated and kept lashing out. We were barely even friends, but I still loved you. And you didn't fall out of love with me."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I couldn't."

"Me neither." Paige huffed out a quiet laugh. "So I knew that even when things were hard, we'd still have something to carry us through." She tightened her grip on him, drifting her thumb lazily up and down his side. "We'll always get through, Walter."

Deep down, he was confident of that. But it was still nice to hear her say it. "I know," he murmured, tilting her chin up so he could kiss her. "I know we will."


End file.
